[House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House]
[Morning Hour]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]
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MORNING HOUR
Sec. 1. In General; Place in Order of Business
Sec. 2. Procedure; Business Considered
Sec. 3. Duration; Interruption or Termination
Research References
4 Hinds Secs. 3118-3141
6 Cannon Secs. 751-755
7 Cannon Sec. 944
6 Deschler Ch 21 Sec. 4
Manual Secs. 878, 889
Sec. 1 . In General; Place in Order of Business
Generally
The morning hour call of committees is a rarely used procedure for
calling up for consideration in the House bills that have been
reported by committees and which are on the House Calendar. Rule XXIV
clause 4 (adopted in its present form in 1890). Manual Sec. 889. Other
avenues that are more frequently used for this purpose are special
rules from the Committee on Rules, suspension of the rules, and
unanimous-consent agreements (all of which are discussed are under
separate titles in this work). Because of the availability of these
more effective procedures, and because most reported bills are
referred to the Union Calendar, the morning hour call has become
largely obsolete. See Deschler Ch 21 Sec. 4. However, since the demise
of the Consent Calendar in the 104th Congress, the morning hour
remains an alternative to suspensions as a way of reaching relative
noncontroversial bills on the House Calendar.
Morning-hour Debates Distinguished
Beginning in the 103d Congress, the House established a procedure
for ``morning-hour speeches.'' Manual Sec. 753b. Under this new
practice, which is permitted by a standing order adopted by unanimous
consent, the House meets early on Mondays and Tuesdays, before the
regular convening hour, to entertain five-minute speeches. No business
is permitted during such periods. See Consideration and Debate for
further discussion of this practice.
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Calendar Wednesday Distinguished
Bills on the House Calendar (as well as those on the Union
Calendar) may be considered when committees are called under the
Calendar Wednesday rule (Rule XXIV clause 7). Both the morning hour
and Wednesday calls have seen little use in recent Congresses since
reported bills are routinely given privilege by special orders
reported from the Committee on Rules. However, while the morning hour
call of committees can be ignored whenever a majority of the House so
chooses, it takes a two-thirds vote to dispense with the call on
Wednesdays. Manual Sec. 897; see also Calendar Wednesday.
Order of Morning Hour Business; Precedence
The morning hour is listed seventh in the rule governing the order
of business in the House, coming just after ``unfinished business.''
Rule XXIV clause 1. A bill once brought up on the morning hour call
continues before the House in that order of business until disposed of
(4 Hinds Sec. 3120), unless withdrawn by authority of the committee
with jurisdiction over the bill. Such withdrawal must occur before
amendment or other House action on the bill. 4 Hinds Sec. 3129. Once
consideration of the bill has begun under the morning hour rule, the
House may not on motion postpone its further consideration to a day
certain. 4 Hinds Sec. 3164. However, other more highly privileged
matters, such as a privileged report from the Committee on Rules, may
intervene. 4 Hinds Sec. 3131.
Sec. 2 . Procedure; Business Considered
Generally
The morning hour rule provides that after the disposition of
unfinished business, the Speaker is to call each standing committee,
``in regular order,'' and then select committees. Rule XXIV clause 4.
This rule is interpreted to mean that committees are to be called
seriatim in the order in which they are listed in Rule X. 6 Cannon
Sec. 751. Each committee when named may then call up a bill it has
previously reported which is on the House Calendar. Rule XXIV clause
4. Bills called up under this procedure are debated under the hour
rule, with debate being confined to the bill under consideration.
Deschler Ch 21 Sec. 4.2.
Business Considered During the Morning Hour
In the early practice, the morning hour was used for the reception
of reports from committees. 4 Hinds Sec. 3118. In 1890, the rule was
amended so as to devote the morning hour to ``any bill'' reported by a
committee
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``on a previous day'' and which is on the House Calendar. Manual
Sec. 889. Thus, the bill must actually be on the House Calendar, and
properly there, in order to be considered (4 Hinds Secs. 3122-3126); a
bill on the Union Calendar may not be brought up during the morning
hour call of committees. 6 Cannon Sec. 753.
Committee Authorization
A Member calling up a bill under the morning hour rule must be
authorized to do so by the committee reporting the bill. Deschler Ch
21 Sec. 4.2. In the event of a dispute as to whether committee
authorization was in fact granted, the Speaker may decline to resolve
the matter on the ground that such an issue gives rise to a question
of fact to be resolved by the committee. 4 Hinds Sec. 3127. But he may
rule on the question of authorization based on statements by the
chairman and other members of the reporting committee. 4 Hinds
Sec. 3128.
Sec. 3 . Duration; Interruption or Termination
Generally
The term ``morning hour'' is to some extent misleading, since,
under the modern rule, the call of committees does not necessarily
terminate in 60 minutes. 4 Hinds Sec. 3119. Today the morning hour
does not terminate until the call is exhausted or until the House
adjourns (Manual Sec. 890) or votes to go into Committee of the Whole
(Manual Sec. 891), or unless other privileged matter intervenes (4
Hinds Sec. 3131). After the intervening business is concluded, the
morning hour call of committees is resumed unless the House adjourns.
4 Hinds Sec. 3133.
Before the expiration of the 60 minutes, the Speaker has declined
to permit the call to be interrupted by a committee report (4 Hinds
Sec. 3132), or by a unanimous-consent request to consider a bill that
is not on the House Calendar (4 Hinds Sec. 3130).
Motions to go Into Committee of the Whole
The House rules permit the interruption of the morning hour call
of committees by a motion to go into Committee of the Whole. Rule XXIV
clause 5. (Generally, see Committees of the Whole.) Under this rule,
the motion lies ``after one hour'' of the call of committees, and may
be made for the purpose of taking up a particular bill. Manual
Sec. 891. The motion may interrupt the call of committees after the
expiration of 60 minutes (4 Hinds Sec. 3131) and may be made even
sooner if the call of committees is exhausted before the hour expires.
4 Hinds Sec. 3141.